Tuesday, October 30, 2012

One Death - Numerous Injured By Fallen Trees As Hurricane Sandy Hits The City

Parks, Playgrounds, Street Trees, Beaches & Waterfronts ImpactedThe large tree fell outside Jackie Robinson Park at Bradhurst Avenue and 149th Street in Harlem at about 5 p.m. Monday. It crushed this car and damaged another. Residents say the tree was dead before Hurricane Sandy and are not surprised the high winds knocked it down, according to DNAinfo. (Photo: Jeff Mays/DNAinfo) City-Wide
By Geoffrey Croft

Hurricane Sandy unleashed its furry across the five boroughs on Saturday leaving death and destruction in its wake.

Thouands of downed trees were reported, trees smashed into homes and cars. Record surge levels were reported throughout the city including almost 14 feet in Battery Park in lower Manhattan.

A 30-year-old man in Flushing Queens was killed this evening just after 7:00pm when a large tree fell into his home at 47-36 166th Street. Police found the man pinned in his bedroom, according to sources. The Department of Buildings have condemned the house.

The victim's name was not immediately released.A tree crashed through the second floor of a house on 166th Street in Queens, killing a man in his bedroom. (Photo: Courtesy Jim M. via gothamist)

Multiple people were injured on Saturday including:

A 30-year-old woman was struck by a large tree limb while jogging this morning around the perimeter of Prospect Park. The incident happened at approx. 9:43 am near 297 Ocean Avenue. The woman was brought to Kings County Hospital in serious condition according to FDNY officials.
A few minutes later a woman in her 40's was struck by a tree just after 10 a.m. while in the backyard of 206 Freeman St., in Greenpoint the FDNY said. The woman was brought to Bellevue Hospital.

A Staten Island woman suffered a leg injury after being struck by a fallen branch and was taken to the hospital.

This evening a 19-year-old was struck by a tree on the Pelham Bay Parkway. He was transported to Jacobi Hospital with a broken leg.Gantry Plaza State Park - Long Island City. East River overflowing. (Photo: WABC)

The Parks Departments' headquarters at the Olmsted Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens was flooded and employees had to be evacuated.

On Saturday a number of Parks Department vehicles were struck by falling tree limbs.

In Bronx Park a large tree limb crashed into a parks PEP vehicle which triggered an ashma attack for one of the officers. The officers was treated by EMS and released at the scene. In Marcus Garvey Park in Manhattan a vehicle sustained major damage when a large tree branch feel on it.

On Staten Island a large tree fell through a house on 608 Renseelar Avenue bringing down live wires according to the NYPD.

In the Bronx, Orchard Beach was completely submerged, with waves reaching the boardwalk this afternoon. Tiffany Pier was also submerged.

A massive tree fell across Garfield Place between 6th and 7th Avenues, in Brooklyn around 1:00 pm causing damage to parked cars, and making the street impassible. (Photo: parkslopestoop.com)Garfield Place between 6th and 7th Avenues. (Photo: Leslie Albrecht/DNAinfo)Downed tree at Orchard Beach during the beginning of Hurricane Sandy in the Bronx, NY on Monday, October 29, 2012. (Photo: EnidAlvarez/NewYorkDailyNews)Parking lot in Orchard Beach turned into a pond. (Photo: NY Daily News)Union Square Park closed. Railings are tied down to light posts to stop them flying away. (Photo: NY Daily News)

Con Ed emergency vehicles mobilize in the north end of Union Square Park in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy on Sunday, October 28, 2012. (Photo: Jefferson Siegel/for the New York Daily News) Area residents say the tree was dead and they aren't surprised the strong winds from Hurricane Sandy brought it down. The tree fell outside Jackie Robinson Park at Bradhurst Avenue and 149th Street about 5 p.m on Monday. (Photo: Jeff Mays/DNAinfo)

Areas along the Belt Parkway near Verrazano Bridge in Gravesend Bay, were already breached by 9 a.m. on Oct 29, 2012, 12 hours before Hurricane Sandy is to hit in full strength. (Photo:Todd Maisel/New York Daily News)Part 2 -Waves from Hurricane Sandy as seen from 15th Street in Brooklyn, looking toward the Verrazano Bridge, on Monday. (Photo: Wayne Carrington)A police officer cleared pedestrians off a walkway in East River Drive in Manhattan (Photo: Ruth Fremson/The New York Times)A tree is uprooted at 75th street between 4th and 5th in Bay Ridge hit a house on Monday, Oct. 29, 2012, as Hurricane Sandy is churning off the East Coast. (NY Daily News)Police work to secure the Coffee Street Pier in Red Hook. (Craig Warga / New York Daily News)

A wave crashes onto the walkway at Battery Park during the arrival of Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012 in New York City. Record surge levels were reported throughout the city including almost 14 feet in Battery Park. (Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)Water spills over into Manhattan in Battery Park. (Photo: UPI)Battery Park being slammed. (Photo: NY Post)